Not Applicable
Not Applicable
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seed planter for tilling and seeding a small area. In particular, the present invention relates to a seed planter which has a distribution plate which distributes the seed over the tilled area.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The related art shows various manual seeding devices which till the ground during seeding. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,131 to Schwarm et al; 2,747,528 to Hunkins; 4,206,714 to Walsh; 4,290,374 to Maples; and 6,289,828 to Wittenberg.
Schwarm et al describes a seeding tool having a hollow tubular body member for storing the seed with teeth at the lower end. A valve is located in the body member and is opened by the user pushing a button.
Hunkins describes a ground perforator and seeder which has a container for the seeds, a handle having a hollow handle and a prong assembly. The prong assembly is mounted on the end of the hollow handle inside the container. The container has openings which allow the prongs of the prong assembly to extend outside the container and which allows the seeds to exit the container. The prongs fill the openings and prevent the seeds from exiting the container when the seeder is being used to perforate the ground.
Walsh shows a seeding device having an upper tube with a storage hopper connected to a lower tube. A valve in the storage hopper opens and closes in response to movement of the lower tube toward and away from the upper tube.
Maples describes a hand-held seeder which has a tubular handle for storing the seeds which is connected to a cup member. The cup member has tooth-like projections for tilling the ground. The seeder has no moving parts. The seeds fall from the handle into the cup member and are jostled out of the cup member onto the ground during the tilling movement.
Wittenberg describes a manually operated seeding and tilling device. The device includes a tubular feed handle having a seed retaining chamber with a portal for loading the chamber. A tined tilling member is positioned on the end of the handle. The handle also has a handle to allow for rotating the handle about the longitudinal axis of the handle to increase the churning effect of the tines. The bottom end of the handle also has a valving means for discharging seeds from the seed chamber.
Also of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,614,160 to Curlett and 5,493,977 to Maisch which show single penetration seed planters.
Only of minimal interest are U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,713 to Anderson et al which shows a garden seeder which allows for dispensing a predetermined volume of seeds; U.S. Pat. No. 2,020,571 to Pick and U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,995 to Hochlan, Jr. which show manual tilling devices.
There remains the need for a manual seeding device which is easy to use and which provides for tilling the ground and distribution of seed over the tilled ground.
The present invention relates to a seed planter or seeding device which has tilling tines for tilling the ground and a seed distributor for distributing the seed over the tilled ground. The seed planter includes a handle having a bracket at one (1) end. The seed container, the tilling plate and tilling tines are mounted on the bracket. The bracket can be U-shaped to transfer the force applied by the user at the first end of the bracket to the tilling tines mounted on the second end of the bracket. The seed container is mounted between the legs of the container. The seed container is removably mounted to a lid which is mounted to a mounting plate extending between the legs of the bracket at the second end of the bracket. The lid has holes in fluid communication with the inner chamber of the seed container. The mounting plate has holes adjacent the holes in the lid to allow the seed from the seed container to pass through the lid and the mounting plate. The tilling plate with the tilling tines is mounted on the mounting plate on the side opposite the seed container. The tilling plate has a center opening with tilling tines mounted around a perimeter of the tilling plate. The tilling tines can be cylindrical with a point at one end similar to a nail. The tilling tines may also have horizontal grooves similar to threads which help to increase the tilling ability of the tilling tines. A metering valve can be provided adjacent the holes in the lid to adjust the amount of seed flowing from the seed container. A seed distributor is provided to distribute the seed over the tilled ground. The seed distributor includes a plunger with a distribution plate mounted at one (1) end. The plunger extends from the inner chamber of the seed container through the lid, mounting plate and tilling plate. The distribution plate is mounted on the second end of the plunger adjacent the second end of the tilling tines. A coil spring extends between the distribution plate and the mounting plate and acts to move the plunger into the fully extended position. To use the seeding device, the seed container is filled with seed and secured to the lid. The user then positions the tilling tines near the ground and applies a downward force. The downward force inserts the tilling tines into the ground and moves the second end of the plunger into contact with the ground which causes the plunger to retract or move upward toward the seed container. The user then removes the seeding device from the ground by applying an upward force on the handle. As the seeding device is moved down and up, seed is moved from the seed container through the lid, mounting plate and center opening of the tilling plate and deposited either on the ground or the distribution plate. Seed which lands on the distribution plate is moved off of the plate when the seeding device is moved away from the ground and the coil spring moves the plunger into the fully extended position. The seed on the distribution plate is distributed over a larger area due to the movement of the plunger and distribution plate.
The present invention relates to a seeding device for manually tilling and seeding ground which comprises: a handle having opposed first and second ends forming a longitudinal axis of the device; a seed container having opposed first and second ends with an opening in the second end and removably mounted on the second end of the handle; tilling tines mounted adjacent the second end of the seed container and extending outward from the seed container in a direction opposite the handle; a plunger having opposed first and second ends and mounted through the second end of the seed container such that the first end of the plunger is positioned in the seed container and the second end of the plunger extends outward from the second end of the seed container in the direction opposite the handle; a distribution plate mounted on the second end of the plunger; and resilient member spaced between the distribution plate and the second end of the seed container for biasing the plunger into a fully extended position.
Further, the present invention relates to a seeding device for manually tilling and seeding ground which comprises: a handle having opposed first and second ends forming a longitudinal axis of the device; a bracket having opposed first and second ends and mounted at the first end to the second end of the handle; a seed container having opposed first and second ends with an opening in the second end and removably mounted on the bracket such that the second end of the container is adjacent the second end of the bracket; tilling tines mounted on the second end of the bracket and extending outward from the bracket in a direction opposite the seed container; a plunger having opposed first and second ends and mounted adjacent the second end of the bracket such that the first end of the plunger is positioned in the seed container and the second end of the plunger extends outward from the second end of the bracket in the direction opposite the seed container; a distribution plate mounted on the second end of the plunger; and a resilient member spaced between the distribution plate and the second end of the bracket for biasing the plunger into a fully extended position.
Still further, the present invention relates to a method for tilling and seeding ground, which comprises the steps of: providing a seeding device having a handle with opposed first and second ends forming a longitudinal axis of the device; a seed container having opposed first and second ends with an opening in the second end and removably mounted on the second end of the handle; tilling tines mounted adjacent the second end of the seed container and extending outward from the seed container in a direction opposite the handle; a plunger having opposed first and second ends and mounted adjacent the second end of the seed container such that the first end of the plunger is positioned in the seed container and the second end of the plunger extends outward from the second end of the seed container in the direction opposite the handle; a distribution plate mounted on the second end of the plunger; and a resilient member spaced between the distribution plate and the second end of the seed container for biasing the plunger into a fully extended position; removing the seed container from the handle; filling the seed container with seed; removably mounting the seed container on the handle; grasping the first end of the handle; moving the seeding device toward the ground such that the second end of the plunger contacts the ground and is retracted toward the seed container and such that the tilling tines enter the ground wherein when the plunger contacts the ground, seed in the seed container moves through the opening in the seed container and contacts the distribution plate; and moving the seeding device away from the ground such that the tilling tines are removed from the ground and the plunger is moved to the fully extended position by the resilient member, where seed contacting the distribution plate is distributed onto the ground.